Her Weight in Gold

"Her Weight in Gold" by George Barr McCutcheon is a funny story set in a small town long ago, centering on Martha Gamble, the General's stepdaughter, and Eddie Ten Eyck, a young man who needs money. It looks at how love, wealth, and what society thinks is important can be ironic and humorous, especially when Eddie thinks about marrying Martha for the money she'll inherit. The story begins with the General saying how much his stepdaughter is worth, even though she's not pretty. Eddie, who's broke, laughs at him at first, but then they start talking about Martha getting married. As the General gets serious about giving Eddie a lot of money if he marries her—her weight in gold, to be exact—Eddie starts to think about it, even though he doesn't really want to. With sarcasm, needing money, and the differences between beauty and worth, the story leads to a strange and funny romance.